15 things that only Telecommuters will understand (or not)!

by Wendy Soon on February 17, 2016

Working at 3am? That’s normal. Telecommuting means flexible working hours. The first thing people think of that is sleeping past noon everyday. But it could also mean working non stop until your in-office colleagues are almost ready to wake up for the new day.

Being at home doesn’t mean you have no work to do. In fact, being at home often equals work. In-office workers go home to rest and relax. Telecommuters go home to work.

There is no such thing as a bad joke. Everyone in the room (i.e. myself) will laugh.

We have the world map at our fingertips. Timezones, we’ve got you memorized! We strive to live in the no-time-zone.

Your parents and relatives judge you as being unemployed, since you are at home all the time. But for telecommuters, being at home actually means the opposite. When we step out for a drink, it could mean we actually have less work to do!

The new Starbucks around the corner means a new office. It’s more important to us than for those who treat Starbucks as a mere coffee place!

And the things that telecommuters don’t (need to) understand.

Lunch buddies – What buddy? I am my own buddy. Either that, or I can find ANYONE I want to lunch with, I am not limited to my office mates!

Peak hour traffic. Traffic? My internet broadband is speedy! Or is traffic referring to the number of visitors to the website we’re building?

Major transport services have massive followers on Twitter. Caltrain has >49 thousand followers! What for?!

Worrying about dress codes at important events or impromptu meetings. The most we need to show is our face via a webcam. That can easily hide our crumpled pajamas, last night’s party wear or, for some people, nudity. A presentable face is the most we need.

The unspoken rule to buy gifts for your office pals when you travel. Why do we need to think about our colleagues even when we’re on vacation?

It’s time to leave work! More like, it’s time to sleep – on the bed that I have been lying in all day!

Overtime pay. How do you even clock these?

Flexible time off needed to attend child’s school concert. Don’t we do that all the time, and without the need to be excused? 😛